This year we had 14 amazing FinCon attendees take the microphone for their own 5-minute talks, known as Sparks, at Ignite FinCon 2018! If you had a favorite, missed it and want to get caught up, or just want to tap back into the magic, you can watch the videos again and again at the Ignite FinCon 2018 playlist on YouTube. Just click play below to dive in!

Thank you so much to this year’s sponsor Mediavine for making Ignite FinCon 2018 the best Ignite yet!

As always, thanks to PT, Jessica, and the whole FinCon crew for your support in bringing Ignite FinCon to the stage. See you next year in Washington DC at FinCon 2019!

We’re back ladies and gentleman, and thanks to our friends at Mediavine this is going to be an AMAZING Ignite FinCon event! Ignite FinCon 2018 will be our 7th year of Ignite FinCon. Whether you are new to the FinCon community or a veteran since the early days, follow along to learn more about what Ignite FinCon is all about and how you can get involved.

What’s an Ignite?

Ignite is a worldwide speaking event that follows a fun, exciting, and unique format. All speakers get exactly 5 minutes on stage and have to use a 20-slide PowerPoint presentation… on a 15-second auto-advance. That’s right. Ready or not, next slide’s coming!

Ignite FinCon is hosted by me, Eric Rosenberg, a veteran speaker at Ignite Denver, Ignite Chanukah in Boulder, and the producer of Ignite FinCon and Ignite Podcast Movement. Ignite events have occurred in over 350 locations around the world sponsored by universities, nonprofits, governments, and individuals who love everything Ignite is all about.

Each talk is called a Spark, which is supposed to Ignite a new and fun idea in the audience. It can be fun, educational, or inspirational. Most importantly, the speakers come from the FinCon community and are voted on by FinConners like you!

How to speak at Ignite FinCon 2018

The first stage in Ignite FinCon is a call for speakers, which is officially open! Read up on the rules, and if it seems like your kind of thing, head over to the submission form to drop in your topic. It’s a good idea to watch some previous Ignite FinCon talk and Ignite talks from other events to formulate the best topic, description, and presentation. Here’s a peek back at Ignite FinCon 2017 in Dallas:

Sometimes funny, sometimes serious, always a good time, many past FinCon breakout session speakers got their start on the Ignite FinCon stage. If you think you have what it takes, submit your topic today!

To be eligible to speak, you cannot be a speaker in your own session at FinCon. If you got a free ticket to FinCon, you are ineligible. Ignite is for everyone else to get a chance to get their five minutes in the spotlight.

How to vote for Ignite FinCon 2018

Once the submissions are in, come back to the Ignite FinCon website to vote! Anyone going to FinCon can vote on the speakers. You have three voting options for each submission. Only one vote per person. No cheating.

When you vote, you can say: Gotta See It (3 points), Sounds Okay (2 points), or Meh, I’ll Pass (1 point).

The top ten make it up on stage for Ignite FinCon 2018!

How to attend Ignite FinCon 2018

Whether you are attending on stage or in the audience, this year’s Ignite is made possible by our fabulous friends at Mediavine. Make sure to swing by and say hello to the Mediavine team in the expo hall or at Ignite. If you are not familiar with Mediavine, that’s double the reason to go by the booth! You’ll probably get some sweet swag and meet some lovely people, and you may even build a money making partnership.

Ignite FinCon 2018 takes place on Friday evening at FinCon. This year’s Ignite takes place on the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel grounds in our very own space. Get there early to grab your seat, grab a drink, mingle, and get ready for Ignite! Check your FinCon schedule for full details.

Ignite FinCon 2017 put 11 amazing speakers on the main keynote stage for their five minutes of glory. From a talk about cancer that tugged on our heartstrings to a hilarious look at how baldness is the key to curing your financial woes, everyone in the audience had a wonderful experience at the sixth Ignite FinCon. Relive it again and again with these videos. Thanks to everyone who participated, spoke, watched, and joined us. See you next year in Orlando!

Watch the whole event in the playlist below, or click to YouTube to watch individual videos or videos from past Ignite FinCon events.

Topics for this year’s Ignite FinCon are submitted, and voting lasts from now until September 30th. Good luck to our submissions. The top 9 get on stage at Ignite FinCon 2017 in Dallas! Once you have reviewed the submissions…

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages… Ignite FinCon is back for FinCon 2017 in Dallas! Thanks to PT, Jessica, and the rest of the FinCon team, this year’s event is shaping up to be better than ever! While FinCon is still three months away, Ignite is getting started early by opening up for your topic submissions if you want to speak at this year’s event.

For the Ignite virgins, think of Ignite like Ted Talks on speed. Each speaker has exactly five minutes on stage. However, this ain’t your grandma’s speaking event. There are rules that each speaker has to follow, and they lead to a fun and exciting event.

Every speaker has exactly 5 mintues

Every speaker has exactly 20 slides

Slides are on a 15-second auto-advance

Yes, you read that right. Whether the speaker is ready or not, the next slide is coming in fifteen seconds. Talks can be about any topic, which may or may not have something to do with personal finance and blogging. Fun past topics have focused on travel, near-death experiences, and even how to become a nightclub DJ. Nothing is off limits at Ignite!

You can get involved!

Ignite FinCon is produced by me, Eric Rosenberg, but it is far from a one-man show. It takes a team of speakers, sponsors, and a few helpers behind the scenes to make it all work. Here are the current opportunities to get involved in Ignite FinCon 2017:

Speak – The star of the show is our roster of speakers. To speak at Ignite, submit your topic. When submissions close, the entire FinCon community will vote on which submissions make it to the big stage for five minutes of fame.

Sponsor – Ignite is not free to produce, and we have been lucky to work with amazing sponsors for past events. The sponsor for Ignite FinCon 2017 is not yet locked in. Contact me or the FinCon team for more information. This sponsorship may be packaged with an existing booth or sponsorship if you are looking for additional options to get involved.

Volunteer – I need about five volunteers each year to help with event-day logistics. Send me an email to let me know you’re interested in helping out.

Ignite works because of you

We have held Ignite FinCon events in Denver, Saint Louis, Charlotte, New Orleans, and San Diego. Join us for the sixth edition of this memorable event at FinCon 2017 in Dallas! Each year we have about 500 attendees, and would love to have you join us this year! Without the entire FinCon community, Ignite would not work. We need you to vote and come out for a great time at Ignite! Whether you are driving over from Fort Worth or flying in from Australia, you have a place at Ignite. See you there!